Study on EU Positioning: An analysis of the international positioning of the EU using revealed comparative advantages and the control of Key Technologies

The study concerns an assessment of the international positioning of the EU in a changing and globalized world. The study examines the strengths and weaknesses of the EU in research and innovation in each of the thematic areas (societal challenges and Key Enabling Technologies) funded in Horizon 2020. On this basis, it provides recommendations on which countries and in which sectors the EU should cooperate in basic research and in close to the market activities. The approach of the study comprises three levels of analysis: the current situation with respect to the European competitive position in the thematic areas of Horizon 2020,

trend analyses towards 2020, and a critical debate and recommendations. The findings of this study showed that Europe currently benefits from an overall good position in many of the KETs and SGCs. However, the scenario analysis indicated that the increasing competition from South-East Asia will most likely imply a decline of Europe's relative position in KETs and SGCs because scientific, technological and competitive strengths will become globally dispersed in a multipolar world. This increasing global dispersion requires that Europe specialises in core strengths in order to remain competitive because it will be impossible for Europe to be excellent in all areas.